We hear a lot of talk about the benefits of sports drinks and how they are formulated to be scientifically better for athletes than water alone, but what makes some sports drinks better for hydration than others?
One major difference between sports drinks and water is that sports drinks contain minerals known as electrolytes that help the body hydrate faster and stay hydrated longer. These elements don't naturally occur in water, so consuming a sports drink with these electrolytes in them could give you an edge before, during and after a workout.
Electrolytes are essentially salts and minerals that our body needs to function properly. They assist the body with its hydration efforts, keep muscles contracting and help the nervous system communicate with the rest of the body. There are five elements that you want to be aware of when we discuss the benefits of consuming a sports performance drink that contains electrolytes.
- Sodium
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Chloride
As you sweat, you're not only sweating precious fluids, you're also sweating out these electrolytes. If your body runs short on these electrolytes, your performance and energy levels could decrease and you may increase your risk of health problems and injury. To understand why we need to replenish these electrolytes, let's take a quick look at what each of them do.
Sodium helps your body retain fluids. Without the proper levels of natural sodium in your body, you'll run the risk of becoming dehydrated quickly. A sodium deficiency causes the water you consume to run through your system faster, causing it to be wasted. Stored fluids will optimize the amount of water your body can use during intense activities.
Chloride is another electrolyte that aids the body in maintaining proper hydration levels. Too little chloride in your system can result in excessive sweating and accelerated dehydration. Chloride also helps the body process other minerals and electrolytes, allowing your body to properly distribute potassium, magnesium and calcium throughout the bloodstream to where they need to go.
Potassium and magnesium coordinate to keep your muscles contracting. Without these two electrolytes, you could run the risk of cramps and strains that could seriously hamper any training progress and performance.
Magnesium not only helps with muscle contraction and flexibility, but it also provides energy, helps regulate the nervous system and allows your body to turn sugars and carbs into energy. Magnesium is also essential for heart health as it works with calcium, another electrolyte, to maintain a steady heartbeat.
As you can see, each of these electrolytes greatly benefits the body, not only while training, but it promotes healthy hydration even for those not participating in athletic events. If you're looking for a sports drink to supplement your hydration routine, remember to look for one that contains all five of these important ingredients.
Most major brands will commonly contain sodium and potassium, but take a close look at the bottle to ensure that all five are electrolytes are listed on the label. Each of these electrolytes requires the others in order to improve performance, keep muscles functioning properly, fine-tune the nervous system and promote proper hydration under intense circumstances.
While there are numerous choices when it comes to sports drinks, very few have all five electrolytes and minerals for optimal performance. If you're looking for a balanced sports beverage that contains all of these electrolytes, you may wish to consider TapouT beverages.
TapouT contains 240mg of sodium, more than any of the other major sports drinks. The sodium will help you keep hydrated under the most intense circumstances, whether you're training for MMA or are exposed to intense heat for long periods of time.
Both TapouT flavors also contain all of the other four electrolytes, potassium, calcium, chloride and magnesium. It's a rare combination to find plenty of sodium and all of the other electrolytes in one balanced sports drink.
TapouT sports performance drinks come in two varieties, our tasty Citrus Kick and flavorful Cherry Lemonade Blast.
Our Citrus Kick is formulated with 30g of carbohydrates to provide energy for any serious athletic competition. It's also loaded with vitamins to replace those you sweat out and keep your mind alert.
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12
Our Cherry Lemonade Blast is formulated for those looking for a zero-sugar, low-calorie option. While it only has one gram of carbohydrates, it still contains the same sodium, electrolytes and vitamins as our Citrus Kick flavor.